Q. Would you please be so kind as to find me the recipes for making Cuban Palomilla Steak and also the sweet, sugar-covered plantains. I am not of Cuban descent, but I love Cuban food. I have searched through many recipe books but cannot find any information. — Marion Marino, North Lauderdale
A. Palomilla Steak is thin-cut, top-sirloin steak, which is pan-fried after it is marinated in garlic, onion and sour orange juice. Sour orange is tough to find, but you can substitute a mixture of orange juice and lime juice. Tender and flavorful, the meat is topped with a mixture of chopped raw onion and fresh parsley, so it is also colorful.
The plantains are sliced, fried in butter, then sprinkled with sugar and salt. For the uninitiated, the plantain is a bland, starchy fruit that looks like a large banana.
When green, plantains are cooked and served as a side dish. As they ripen, they get sweeter and turn black. Then they usually are pan-fried and served as dessert. When buying, choose large, firm, greenish-yellow to dark-brown fruit. Keep at room temperature. To hasten ripening, place in a closed paper bag. Fully ripened, they keep for up to a week.
PALOMILLA STEAK
4 (7- to 8-ounce) top-sirloin steaks, 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons sour orange juice or 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 tablespoon lime juice
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pure olive oil
1/2 cup fine-chopped onion
1/2 cup fine-chopped fresh parsley
Place steaks in a shallow dish or pan and sprinkle with garlic, citrus juice(s), onion rings and salt. Cover dish and place in refrigerator about 30 minutes before frying.
When ready to fry, heat oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry steaks 1 or 2 at a time, with a portion of the onion rings, until meat is browned and of desired doneness. (If you like the onions softer, cook them a little longer.)
Serve steaks and onion rings on warmed plates. Mix together the uncooked chopped onions and parsley to serve on side. Let guests sprinkle mixture over steaks, as desired. Makes 4 servings.
Adapted from Cuban Home Cooking (Surfside Publishing, 1989) by Jane Cossio.
Per serving: 549 calories, 40 grams protein, 40 grams fat, 6 grams carbohydrates, 128 milligrams cholesterol, 240 milligrams sodium.
SUGARED FRIED PLANTAINS
4 to 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
4 large, ripe plantains (mostly brown to black), peeled* and sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
In a heavy, 12-inch skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter or margarine over medium-high heat. When hot, add about of the plantain slices in a single layer and fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove plantains from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a large, warm platter. Sprinkle with some salt and sugar. Repeat with remaining slices, adding more butter or margarine, if necessary. Sprinkle them with salt and sugar, too. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 264 calories, 2 grams protein, 6 grams fat, 55 grams carbohydrates, no cholesterol, 83 milligrams sodium.
*To peel plantains, cut off ends with a sharp paring knife; slice peel lengthwise, 2 or 3 times around plantain. Pull off peel.
Q. Could you please find me the recipes for Vinegar Pie and Sugar Pie? My mother made the Vinegar Pie, and my mother-in-law made the Sugar Pie. Both pies were delicious. The ladies have passed away, and I did not learn how they made their pies. — Wilma Purk, Fort Lauderdale
A. I am sure there are many variations of these classics. I tested several before choosing the recipes below. The use of vinegar in pies probably came about as a substitute for lemon juice, when the fruit was unavailable.
I tested one recipe that contained lemon zest and vinegar. Go figure — if you have lemon for the zest, why would you use vinegar instead of lemon juice? I tested the recipe anyway; it tasted like vinegar — yuck.
Then I found a recipe in Time-Life Books Foods of the World series (1971) for a light-textured pie made with eggs, sugar, vinegar, sour cream, walnuts and spices. It was very tasty — like a tangy spice-nut cake.
The Sugar Pie is a simple recipe containing ingredients most people have on hand. It was probably devised as an everyday pie — back when people made pies every day. The recipe was adapted from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book (Knopf; 1984) by Marion Cunningham .
SUGAR PIE
Unbaked 9-inch pastry pie crust
1 cup packed light brown sugar or granulated sugar
cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups light cream
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prick pastry all over and line with a piece of heavy-duty foil.
Bake 5 minutes, remove the foil and bake until just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place pan with crust on wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and salt until well combined. Pour into the pie shell and spread evenly over the bottom.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat cream until very warm to the touch but not boiling. Pour the warm cream over the sugar mixture to cover completely. Dab the softened butter in bits over the cream. Sprinkle evenly with nutmeg.
Bake in a 350-degree oven until golden spots form on the top, about 45 to 60 minutes. When the pie is removed from the oven, the filling will be loose, but it will firm up as the pie cools. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 427 calories, 3 grams protein, 28 grams fat, 42 grams carbohydrates, 59 milligrams cholesterol, 370 milligrams sodium.
Variation: To reduce fat and calories, use 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated skim milk plus 1/4 cup milk (2-percent milkfat or whole) instead of light cream; eliminate butter or margarine.
Per serving: 270 calories, 5 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 45 grams carbohydrates, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 346 milligrams sodium.
VINEGAR PIE
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry pie crust*
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
( teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
( teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch salt
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup coarse-chopped walnuts
1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prick pastry all over and line with a piece of heavy-duty foil. Bake 5 minutes, remove the foil and bake until just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Place pan with crust on wire rack to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, coriander and salt. Set aside.
In a narrow, non-plastic bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy white. Gradually pour in sugar while continuing to beat. Beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form when beater is lifted.
In a large bowl with the unwashed beater, beat egg yolks until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the yolks, using an over-and-under cutting motion. In the same fashion, fold in the flour mixture, then the sour cream, vinegar and walnuts. Continue to fold just until the liquids have been absorbed. Do not overmix or mixture will deflate.
Spoon the filling into the partially baked, cooled pie crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake in the center of the oven until the filling is firm, about 30 minutes.
Place pie on wire rack to cool to room temperature and then chill, if desired. (When at room temperature, the pie can be topped with whipped cream and served, or it can be chilled before topping with whipped cream.)
Just before serving, beat the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks, then add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until stiff peaks form when beater is lifted. With a rubber spatula, spread on top of pie, making decorative swirls. Slice with a warm, damp knife. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes 8 servings.
Per serving: 379 calories, 6 grams protein, 28 grams fat, 29 grams carbohydrates, 116 milligrams cholesterol, 204 milligrams sodium.
Variation: To reduce fat and calories, substitute sour half-and-half for the sour cream. Eliminate whipping cream and confectioners’ sugar; substitute 2 cups light frozen whipped topping, thawed (such as Cool Whip Lite).
Per serving: 319 calories, 6 grams protein, 20 grams fat, 30 grams carbohydrates, 74 milligrams cholesterol, 196 milligrams sodium.
FISH SOUP, ANYONE?
Q. Several years ago you had a recipe for a Spanish Fish Soup, which was delicious. I have lost it, and I am hoping you print it again. I remember it had wine, several kinds of fish and seafood and French bread, which you put in a blender to chop up. — Hilda M. Seguss, Tamarac
A. I couldn’t find this recipe in our files. Did anyone clip it?
— Have a cooking question? Need some nutrition advice? Trying to track down a long-lost recipe? Send your questions (be sure to include phone number) to Countertalk, Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301-2293. Personal replies are not possible.
